A disappointing weekend was in store for Steve Plater on the Padgett’s Honda at Oulton Park when he scored a seventh place in the first of two races in the British Supersport championship and crashed out of race two after just five laps. Qualifying did not go quite to plan for the ever smiling Woodhall Spa rider who began the first race from the second row of the grid in eighth position. Although he began the short sprint race well he was down in 10th place as the riders crossed the line to begin lap two. But he got his head down and began to make up ground moving into eighth position on lap four of 12 and then taking up seventh on lap nine which he held to the chequered flag. He said: “I got off the line well and into a good position at turn one but then lost places at Cascades. I just struggled in traffic and then Chris Iddon blew up in front of me and Billy McConnell and we nearly hit him. That lost both of us some time and we just couldn’t make up the ground.” Race two saw Plater line up in fifth position for the start of Monday’s feature race and as the lights went out he made it through to ninth on the opening lap. He passed fellow Lincolnshire rider Gary Johnson on lap two to claim eighth position and then went on to take sixth place one lap later. But it all ended in tears when he slid off uninjured at Druids after just five of the 16 laps. “There are some ripples in the track surface at Druids and you have to ride them in a certain way but I pushed a little too hard and went down. I am ok but it’s a bit frustrating as it was a silly mistake on my part. Before that I had been quite comfy and catching the group of riders in front of me. I knew I would not make it onto the podium although it was possible I would have finished in fourth place.” This set of results put Plater into fourth place in the rider standings on 36 points with the third round in two week’s time at Croft in North Yorkshire where Plater will be hoping for a change of fortune and a chance to bag some more valuable points to move further up the championship table. More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Portuguese Grand Prix debrief with Tohru Ubukata Round 3: Portuguese GP Post-race debrief Estoril Circuit, Tuesday 3 May 2011 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium. Rear (asymmetric): Medium, Hard Bridgestone wet compounds available: Front: Soft. Rear: Soft The weather at the Estoril circuit is always unpredictable because of its proximity to both sea and mountains and this year was no different, but the surprise worked in favour of the riders. Forecast to rain all weekend, Bridgestone’s wet tyres were only required in Saturday morning practice and Sunday’s warm-up. Rain did hit the circuit each night, but only after MotoGP running had finished. This meant that whilst the race was dry, as many riders had wanted after a soaked Spanish GP at Jerez, the circuit was greasy and slippery as the rain made it dirty each time. Having set the early pace for much of the weekend and starting from the front row for the first time in the premier class, Marco Simoncelli crashed out on the opening lap, leaving it to Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo to fight for the victory, with the former taking to the top step with his first win of the year. Tohru Ubukata General Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department How did the weather affect track conditions and tyre performance over the weekend? “For both sessions on Friday the track was dry but quite dirty and greasy so did not provide the best grip. The tarmac of the Estoril circuit is quite bumpy and slippery anyway so in these conditions tyre performance was reasonable but the laptimes were about one second slower than the lap record. By the afternoon session, the track temperature had risen by ten degrees Celsius and with a morning of running the track was cleaner, and the laptimes fell by nearly half a second. “Normally on the second and third days of running, the track continues to get cleaner and the grip gets better, but heavy rain on Friday, just after the afternoon session had finished, meant that all Friday’s cleaning was undone and on Saturday morning the track was damp and greasy again. Still, by the end of qualifying the pole time was down to within 0.2seconds of the lap record. “Rain hit the circuit again on Saturday night though, leaving the warm-up session damp and the circuit greasy ahead of the race. Overall, I can say that circuit grip was lower this year, but this helped in the riders’ decisions to use the softer option rear slicks for the race as durability was not a concern and the extra grip of the softer compound was a definite advantage.” None of the sessions were exactly wet, only damp. What can you say about wet tyre performance? “Free practice on Saturday morning was damp and gradually dried although a dry line didn’t form and all riders used our soft compound wets for the whole time. For Sunday warm-up the track started damp and only right at the end of the session could slicks be used. Although it was still very slippery at the end of warm-up when Colin Edwards went out on slicks and set the fastest time, we could see that the wet tyres have sufficient operating range in wet to drying conditions to overlap with our slick tyres so I am happy about this.” More, from a press release issued by Sportsbike/Ducationly: RACE REPORT Rd2 AUSTRALIAN PRO-THUNDER CHAMPIONSHIP WAKEFIELD PARK RACEWAY GOULBURN NSW : 29 APRIL 1 MAY 2011. DETERMINATION REWARDS MARTIN WITH 3RD IN PRO THUNDER CHAMPS. Sportsbike | Ducationly Ducati 1198S rider Peter Martin has been the big mover in the Australian Pro-Thunder Championships held at the tight and bumpy Goulburn NSW circuit last weekend. By posting six strong results over the weekend, Martin secured third in the National F1 round and third in the Australian Pro-Thunder F1 Championship round and as a result, Martin moves from 16th to 9th Overall in the Australian Pro-Thunder Championship and from 8th to 3rd in the Australian Pro-Thunder Formula 1 Class Championship. Each day is a different Championship – the National Championship on Saturday with Qualifying and three races are scored separately from the real event on Sunday. Sunday is the more important Australian Pro-Thunder Championship, again with it’s own Qualifying and three races. The Pro-Thunder Class had 22 riders contesting 6 Formula Classes with Martin contesting the Formula 1 Class on the Sportsbike | Ducationly Ducati 1198S. Starting positions are by Qualifying for race one then according to the finishing position from the previous race. Points are scored as Overall and Formula. Friday: Practice. Martin spent the day adjusting Suspension from the regular Bridgestone tyres, to a setting to suit the Dunlop Slick ‘Control’ Tyre only to be told at the end of the day that Dunlop did not have any more tyres for the Ducati. Bridgestone were on hand to save the day and the settings were changed back according to the recorded notes. Saturday: National Pro-Thunder Series. Despite losing the front under brakes and crashing in race two, Martin remounted and finished the race with no left foot peg, to score valuable points. The results of 3rd, 5th & 4th gave Martin 3rd Overall in Saturday’s National F1 Round. Sunday: Australian Pro-Thunder Championship. Martin decided to ride strategically, to finish each race high was the objective and to finish was essential. The top three were setting faster lap times and were not easily within reach, so Martin rode to capitalise on any errors or mechanical issues that may occur in the field. This proved to be an excellent strategy with Martin finishing 4th, 4th & 3rd for 3rd Overall in the Australian F1 Championship Round. After two of six rounds in the Australian Pro-Thunder Championship, the points leader is Angus Reeke (KTM RC8R) 150 Points, followed by; Richard Liminton (Ducati1198) 116 Points, Brad Glennan (Triumph 675) 113 Points, Sophie Lovett (Ducati 1098R) 79 Points and Gary Peake (Triumph 675) on 76 Points. Peter Martin (Ducati 1198S) sits 9th overall with 51 points and is 3rd in Australian Pro-Thunder Formula 1 Class Championship. RIDER COMMENTS: PETER MARTIN Australian Pro-Thunder #31 “There were many good reasons not to enter this Race Meeting; I only raced because I said I would to my Sponsors. I appreciate their great support and rewarding them is a priority for me.” “It was a big weekend full of challenges. In Saturday’s race two I made an error and asked too much of the front. The tyre held under braking and then tucked when I asked it to turn as well. The Vemar Helmet did it’s job and provided excellent protection. The Lightech Rear sets did their job and broke at the sacrifice point as planned, but with no left peg I was struggling as I rely on the foot pegs to turn into corners and to control the back end under acceleration. To compound the problem, I also had no rear brake. Even with the assistance with Terry Sutton, this could not be resolved for the rest of the weekend.” “I am pleased that after crashing, I remounted and continued to race. It paid off as every point counted. But Saturday was not as important for me – Sunday was the Australian Championship and that was my focus. While I have achieved 1:05’s at Wakefield on this bike, I could not lap at those times at this meeting, the track is bumpier now and I did not adapt. I do however feel that I am gaining pace and confidence on the 1198S and that there is much more to come. I am going to be patient, I am going to work hard to achieve a pace closer to the riders at the front. Until I get there, my strategy is to accumulate points and it worked this weekend.” “In hind sight, all riders faced similar challenges all weekend. It is not the challenge you face, it is how you face the challenge. I am proud that no matter what came at me, I kept going and did not give up.” “I was disappointed being told that Dunlop did not have the control tyre available for the Ducati, especially after a day of riding to set the bike up for the Dunlop tyres. Luckily I had my old settings for Bridgestone Tyres and while the settings were not perfect for a now bumpier track and big suspension changes are avoided during racing, my times did get lower. While there are many issues that influence lap times, I was interested to see the difference the tyres made; Dunlop 211D Medium Slick best time 1:09.17, Bridgestone Medium Slick best time 1:07.089.” “I wish to bring attention to our Team’s use of Motul Oils and cleaning products in bike preparation and at the track. We use Motul products because we can rely on them without question when I race, it is about confidence.” “My thanks to Terry, Gloria, the Officials and Flaggies for their efforts. Thanks also to Craig White for the Bridgestone Tyre support, to Terry Sutton for helping with the bike, to Matthew Pridham for helping to pack up and to Dean Yagan and Michael Maher for sharing the Pit Garage over the weekend.” More, from a press release issued by i-Style Natural Aprilia Racing Team: Short, Fierce, Wild West Shootout for the i-Style Natural Aprilia Racing Team at Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway i-Style Natural Aprilia Racing Team rider Ben Attard remains in third position in the 2011 ASBK following a strong ride in race 2 of the Trading Post Perth Challenge, the first of three combined rounds in 2011 with the popular V8 Supercar Series held over the weekend 15-17 April. The weekend was a battle for the team in a much slimmed down weekend to a normal three day ASBK round. Only one twenty minute practice session – followed by two qualifying sessions – to set up the i-Style Natural Aprilia RSV4 for racing at a track the team had never been to before would test both rider and crew. Rider Ben Attard had not been to the circuit for eleven years and then it was on an Aprilia RS250 Production bike. The team worked hard in the singleton practice session on Friday gathering data and Ben re-acquainting himself with the technical layout of the undulating Barbagallo Raceway. Changes were constantly being made to the setup of the i-Style Natural Aprilia during the two qualifying sessions – under the guidance of Team Technical Director Warren Willing to enable Ben to improve his lap time by over 1.5 seconds. Ben maintained his 100% success rate at qualifying for the one lap QBE Superpole shootout with the team, for this round, to be held in front of a healthy crowd of action seeking V8 Supercar fans. Following a brilliant spectacle in the Saturday morning sunshine Ben would start both races, to be held Saturday midday and Sunday morning, from the second row of the grid following a lap slightly off what had been achieved in qualifying. Saturday’s race was a cut and thrust affair, Ben got a great start from the second row making up several positions off the start and completing the first lap in fifth position. Setting his fasted lap on the weekend to date on the third of the fifteen lap race Ben was unable to maintain his pace over the closing stages a lack of set up time taking its toll, finishing in seventh position. The race shown nationally on delayed telecast on Channel 7. Race two was another televised fifteen lap cracker held early on Sunday morning in front of an appreciative crowd of motorsport fans. Ben launched the Aprilia off the line and settled into a strong position in the opening laps. Getting away with the leaders Ben was part of a six rider freight train that broke away from the pack by mid race distance. Such was the pace, championship leader Glenn Allerton broke the lap record on the fifth lap, Ben’s fastest lap on the i-Style Natural Aprilia was less than .3 of a second off the new benchmark. Passed by three times New Zealand Superbike Champion Robbie Bugden on lap six, Ben was unable to re-take the position from the late braking fellow Queenslander, and finished the race in a strong sixth position, only three seconds off the race winner and new lap record holder. Ben’s consistent performance’s over the two races resulted in sixth place for the round, more importantly maintaining Ben’s third place in the ASBK Championship standing, one point off second place. “The first race wasn’t our best that’s for sure” reflected Ben after the weekend. “We didn’t really have the quite the right setup – a lack of setup time – we just didn’t gather enough data. After the race I could see where I was losing it to the other guys. Warrens a genius and he’s been able to sort that out, and we were able to lap consistently over .6 of a second quicker and that put us right were we needed to be, the bike was there to today, it just took us a few laps to get going. I got a great start in the second race and was pretty aggressive into turn one, you have to be as there are just so many good riders out there on good bikes, we’ve come a long way since yesterday I just wish we were there on Friday”. The i-Style Natural Aprilia Racing Team Technical Director, Warren Willing, certainly had an impact during this difficult weekend. “Each step was positive” he commented. “But it was hard as each time you went out the track it was a completely different temperature and time of the day. We really made progress after the data we gathered in yesterday’s race where Ben was struggling for grip all through and finished twelve seconds behind. Based on that feedback we were able to put a setting in this morning for warm up. Again, it’s hard to evaluate as the track temperature was very cold and we had to use yesterday’s race tyre, and we raced on the hard tyre so that wasn’t really suitable for this morning, but it did seem better. In the race it proved to be better and we improved the race time by about nine seconds, it was just a day late.” Round five of the 2011 ASBK will be held at Brisbane’s Queensland Raceway, the teams’ home circuit, over the weekend June 3-5. The i-Style Natural Aprilia Racing team’s assault on the 2011 Viking Group ASBK would not be possible without the continued, ongoing support of their sponsors, Motul, RST Leathers, Alpinestars, RK Chain, Goodridge, Sportsbike, Monza Imports & Archers Paint & Panel who have all been long time supporters of the team. 2011 Viking Group asbk Superbike Championship Series Points: 1 G Allerton (BMW) 188, 2 T Herfoss (Suzuki) 130, 3 B Attard (i-Style Natural Aprilia) 129, 4 C Coxhell (Honda) 123, 5 J Stauffer (Honda) 119, 6 W Maxwell (Honda) 101. More, from a press release issued by Team Honda Racing: Team Honda Racing at Barbagallo Raceway 2 May 2011 The Honda CBR1000RR is back on the podium in the Australian Superbike Championship after taking 2ndand 3rdoverall for Round 4 at Barbagallo Raceway over the weekend. Held in conjunction with the Trading Post Challenge V8 Supercars the Australian Superbikes had the car enthusiasts leaning over the fence captivated by their speed and agility on the track. Saturday’s on-track action for the Superbikes consisted of a very impressive second Qualifying session and Superpole, both of which saw Team Honda Racing’s #47 Wayne Maxwell on top of the timesheets and again taking the coveted Superpole point and starting both races from P1 on the grid. #47 Wayne Maxwell in P1 and #27 Jamie Stauffer in P3 Lap times for the early morning Q2 session on a fresh track had Maxwell recording his fastest lap time of 55.454 sec on lap 11 of his 17 lap session. Superpole, though not providing the same conditions, still produced some terrific times with Maxwell taking Superpole with a lap time of 55.683 sec and team mate #27 Jamie Stauffer recording a 55.775 sec to take third place on the grid for both races. Race One for the Superbikes was held on Saturday and proved to be an incredible one! Although Team Honda Racing did not take the 1stplace honours the performance of the Honda CBR1000RR’s was extremely impressive with Maxwell leading from his pole position and dominating the race until the penultimate lap when he was passed by Allerton. Undeterred, Maxwell set about regaining his lead however once he became mixed up with lapped riders his race was all but decided as he and team mate Stauffer had to pick their way through the pack. The result was a very strong 2ndplace for Maxwell with a fastest lap time of 55.896 sec and a 3rdplace for Stauffer. #47 Wayne Maxwell: “I got a great start off the line in Race 1 and was able to lead for most of the race. I felt really comfortable, but as can happen in racing I got caught in traffic after Allerton passed me and it held me up. It was unfortunate, but it happens.” The WA sunshine was out in force again on Sunday and the Superbikes were bright and early on the schedule with the fantastic crowd already assembled for another thrilling race. #27 Stauffer got off the start line well to lead the race initially. Team mate Maxwell got a less than ideal start from P1, but was able to recover to eventually take 2ndplace with a fastest lap time of 55.626 sec; Stauffer taking a 4thplacing. The CBR1000RR of Team Honda Racing stood 2ndand 3rdoverall for Round four of the championship. Stauffer: “The team have turned things around very quickly since Darwin and our results prove that this weekend. We are hoping to do some testing prior to Round 5 in Queensland as there are a couple of things to focus on with the set-up of the CBR1000RR coming out of this event. I would have liked to have been higher on the podium and taken more points in the championship, but we learned a lot over the weekend and I’m looking forward to Queensland.” Team Principle, Paul Free is pleased with the strong result at Round four however, his thoughts now revolve around getting Team Honda Racing further up the points tally. Free: “The few days between the Darwin Round and the Perth Round were a whirlwind and although we were hoping to take the win this weekend, the results are strong and show that we are heading in the right direction. Wayne taking Superpole and 2ndoverall with Jamie in 3rdoverall proves this, however, I am never happy until we are in top spot and neither is my team. We have a few weeks until Round five in Queensland so there is some work to do. I am looking forward to getting up there and moving further forward.” More, from a press release issued by Conor Cummins’ publicist: More progess for Cummins at Oulton Conor Cummins’ comeback from serious injury continued at the weekend with three days of activity at Oulton Park where he was contesting round 2 of the Metzeler National 1000cc Superstock Championship. The Blackhorse Kawasaki rider declared himself happy with the progress made around the undulating Cheshire circuit and was rewarded with a solid 23rd place in Monday’s 15-lap race. Like Brands the previous weekend, Conor got quicker and quicker in each session and after placing 35th in Saturday’s free practice session, he took 3 seconds of his lap time in opening qualifying to move up to 26th place. Conditions were again good during Sunday’s second and final qualifying session albeit with a stronger breeze but it was only in the final few minutes when the riders were able to go quicker than the previous day. A time of 1m42.760s saw another two tenths of a second come off his lap time and the Manxman was able to qualify straight for the main race on Monday afternoon and line up in 28th on the grid. The 2.69-mile course was again blessed with blue skies and sunshine on Monday and another blistering start saw Conor jump up to 21st at the end of lap one. Briefly up inside the top 20, Conor was lying in 21st place at half race distance and part of a six-man group battling for 17th and although at one stage he’d dropped back to 25th, he dug deep in the final third of the race around the physically demanding circuit and took the chequered flag in a more than solid 23rd place. Speaking later, Conor said: “As I’ve said all along I’m not looking at the results, I’m just concentrating on putting the laps in and this weekend has been another very good workout with good progress made. I had a few handling issues with the bike but we got things a lot better in time for final qualifying and I was able to qualify for the race without having to go into the ‘Shoot Out’ which I was delighted with and another cracking start got me up inside the top 20. Obviously, it would have been nice to have stayed there and got close to the points but I experienced a bit of brake fade mid-race and the lever was coming back to the bar and I was on the verge of pulling in as it was getting a bit hairy.” “It was quite an eventful race with lots going on out there so, all in all, I had a lot to consider but the brakes came back though so I stuck in there and worked hard right up until the very end of the race and it’s been a really good, enjoyable weekend. It was heavy going to begin with but the team worked really hard and got the bike working how I wanted it to and I’m just pleased to have got another finish under my belt and have another relatively trouble free weekend. That’s all I’m interested in at the moment and it’s all good progress. I’m getting more and more comfortable and am enjoying my racing so I’ll look for more of the same next time out.” Conor will be back onboard the Blackhorse Kawasaki at Croft in two weeks time for round 3 of the Metzeler National 1000cc Superstock Championship. More, from a press release issued by Bike Interceptor Yamaha by Seton: BURKE EXTENDS CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD WITH OULTON PODIUM Over-exuberant riders and the deployment of the safety car played into the hands of Bike Interceptor Yamaha by Seton’s Ben Burke as he stormed to his second podium of the season at Oulton Park. The young Australian rider has now extended his championship lead to sixteen points after round two of the 2011 Metzeler National Superstock 600 Championship (2 May). Starting from the outside of the third row in 12th, out of a huge field of forty riders, Ben made a storming start blasting up the inside line to hit the first turn in fifth. A dramatic spill two riders in front on the opening lap nudged the Yamaha rider back to 12th as he avoided the stricken rider and machine. Ben locked himself into battle with Blackshaw, Brown, Grinrod & Jeacock in the hunt for a top ten position during the opening laps. With the leading trio making a break at the head of the field, Ben looked to consolidate his championship position, knowing that he may not have the pace to close the gap to them. However, with Kawasaki rider, Tony Coombs crashing out on lap 6, the deployment of the safety car played right into Ben’s hands as the field bunched up ahead of the restart two laps later. As the safety car pulled back into pitlane, Ben made the break with the leading pack. Race leader East dramatically highsided out of contention exiting Shell Oils, taking with him second placed Irwin. Ben now had a real chance of a podium finish, but with fellow Yamaha rider Keith Farmer scything through the field over the latter stages to claim his debut win, Ben looked as if he may have to settle for fourth. The gap ahead to Blackshaw in third looked too substantial as Ben rounded Old Hall for the start of the final lap. However, the sweet taste of Champagne still lingered from Brands and Ben closed in to make a superb move on the outside of the Triumph, late on the brakes into Lodge, before powering up and out of Deer Leap for the last time to hold off Usher and claim the final step of the podium by just three tenths of a second. With East and Brown both out of the points, Ben has extended his championship lead to sixteen points over Oulton Park race winner, Keith Farmer. Ben Burke: “I feel a bit lucky to have got third as I didn’t think I had the pace to stay with the front runners to get on the podium. Thanks to a few other guys who crashed, things worked out in the end. The team worked really well together and I learnt the track pretty quickly. I think I proved today that you don’t need outright speed to be competitive but to be consistent. I’d like to give massive thanks to the team, Impact Coatings, TK Cope Motorcycles, Australian United Timber, Standard Engineering and Seton Interceptor tuning. It’s great to keep the lead in the championship into the next round.” Sam Warren put in a herculean performance to elevate his Bike Interceptor Yamaha by Seton machine to a top ten finish after 16 laps of the second round of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship. The Derbyshire-based rider, eager to make a mark on proceedings at his ‘home’ round started from 20th on the grid and was caught in heavy traffic throughout the opening exchanges. Locked in battle with Hipwell, Pekkanen and Jones, Sam got his head down as the team’s harder Pirelli tyre choice started to pay dividends. Posting his fastest laps on successive circulations of Oulton’s 2.69-mile undulating circuit from laps six to nine (1:40.566), Sam soon passed Hunt to close in on AJ Venter and the top ten. With two laps to go Sam had brushed Venter aside, gapping the Triumph rider but unable to make ground on the trio ahead. Sam’s superior lap pace would assure the 28-year old ninth position at the flag – a fantastic effort from 20th on the grid. Coupled with three points from Sunday’s 12-lap ‘Sprint’, Sam has added ten more valuable points to his season’s tally to move up to 12th in the championship. Sam is now one of only eight Supersport riders to maintain a 100% record of scoring points in all four races so far this season. Sam Warren: “Going into Oulton, which is one my better tracks, I thought we were up for a good result. But unfortunately it didn’t pan out again. I should have finished 11th in qualifying but a disqualification of my fastest lap put me in 15th. A bad set-up decision in the Sprint cost us, so Race 2 was similar to Brands; getting a top 10 ffinish rom way down. All we can do is hope for better luck at Croft.” Phil Seton, Team Manager: “Ben was slightly gifted the podium finish but rode a very mature and sensible race. Showing that consistency is the key and not to get flustered meant he got third place, so we’re over the moon. It was another good top ten result for Sam in Supersport Feature race. Coming from so far back on the grid, the harder Pirelli tyre choice really paid dividends in the second half and his lap times were on a par with the leaders. We just need to get the first half of the weekend up to speed and Sam will be challenging for the win. A big thanks to Greg, Will and Ben at AGP-Grafico for making the bikes looks so stunning.” The third round of the 2011 MCE British Superbike Championship moves to Croft in North Yorkshire over the weekend of 13-15 May. More, from a press release issued by Royal Distributing/MBP Racing Team: Leon on the Pro Superbike Podium! The Royal Distributing / MBP Racing Team returns from the opening round of the 2011 RACE SuperSeries with 5 podium finishes, split between two riders. The event was held on May 1 at Shannonville’s Fabi track. Rider Michael Leon rode the team’s Guy Martin owned and tuned Ducati 1198S to a third place result in the feature Pro Superbike class, finishing behind Honda mounted riders Jodie Christie and Frank Trombino. This was the first trip to the Superbike podium for the team. New teammate, Tony Stufko, riding his Ducati 848 (with 1040cc kit) finished 5th in the Amateur Superbike class. Also Michael and Tony finished 1st and 2nd respectively in the Liquid Cooled Thunder and Heavyweight Sportsman classes. “I’m thrilled to finally get on the box in Superbike. It’s exciting for me, exciting for Guy and Janet and exciting for Carlos. I just can’t send enough thanks to Royal Distributing, MBP and to all our sponsors, without whom we wouldn’t be here! Hopefully, we can continue to make progress and eventually be challenging for a win.” commented Michael. The weekend had got off to difficult start on Friday when Michael had a very low speed tumble leaving the pits on cold tires. Although the bike was not apparently damaged, it had run while lying on its side for a few moments, starving the engine of oil. Ducati motorcycles do not come equipped with a tip over switch. Guy Martin of MBP and trackside crew Carlos Carrascosa worked into the evening Friday night to install a back up engine in 1198S and get it running again. Proving that hard work pays off, the efforts helped the team recover from a tough start. A key to the weekend’s success, for Michael, was the help from suspension expert John Sharrard of Accelerated Technologies and from Dunlop Tire Technician Sandy Noce of Pro6Cycle. Guy and Carlos consulted continually throughout the weekend with John and Sandy, making adjustments to suspension, tire selection and tire pressure to continually improve laptimes. Tony’s run in the Amateur Superbike race was impressive. He worked his way through the field from tenth on the first lap all the way up to third position. A miscalculation in the hairpin put him back in 6th place. In dramatic fashion, Tony once again worked his way back up the 3rd going into the last corner on the last lap. Unfortunately, a false neutral on the drive to the line allowed 2 riders back past. While charging through the field, Tony put in the fastest lap of the race! “I’m really happy with how I rode on race day. I met my goals of 2nd in my support classes, and a top five in Amateur Superbike. It’s encouraging to here from multiple people how exciting I made the Amateur Superbike race. Many thanks to Royal Distributing and MBP, as well as my other sponsors that are helping me be competitive this year” The next event for the team is Round 2 on the weekend of May 13-15 at Shannonville’s Pro Track. Royal Distributing would like to invite everyone out to the No HST Tent Sale Event on now until May 8! Come on down to one of the 4 Tent Sale Locations: Guelph, Innisfil, Whitby and Sudbury. The Royal Distributing / MBP Superbike Team is supported by Royal Distributing, Martin Brickwood Performance, Dunlop, Pro 6 Cycle, Elka Suspension, Accelerated Technologies, Double Dog Moto, Nexo Sports, Rev-Amp Electrical Equipment, EBC Brakes, Woodcraft, Armour Bodies, Eurocorsa, MRA Windscreeens, Speedymoto, J Precision, AV&V, LG Restorations, CVR Motors, Ottawa Dodge, KS on the Keys, Acceptable Storage, T_SBK Club, George Seeger, Dave Cody and Quebec Coating. Tony Stufko also is supported by Windmill Motorsports, Valley Sales and Equipment, Monette Sports / Montreal Ducati and Ottawa Yamaha. More, from a press release issued by Moto Rapido Ducati: DOUBLE PODIUM AT OULTON FOR MOTO RAPIDO DUCATI Moto Rapido Ducati’s Scott Smart took two second-place finishes in yesterday’s British Superbike Evo Championship double header at Oulton Park which means the team march into second place in the series points table ahead of the next round in a fortnight’s time. The Maidstone rider slowly chipped away at chassis and engine settings over the Bank Holiday meeting, qualifying fourth in class at the Cheshire circuit on Sunday before making additional alterations to the motor and suspension ahead of the two races. “Both races looked like they were going to be a bit messy and one was subject to the safety car after a Suzuki got launched into the next county. Safety cars are usually good for races but this was bad for me as it negated the seven-second gap I had built to the guys behind me,” said Smart. “It turned into a fight with a few people heading across parts of the track they shouldn’t but at the end, I crossed the line in second for the first time this year. For race two, we made a couple of changes and the bike was even better. Again, I got caught in a group but worked my way through and ended up in a fight with some full Superbike, two of which I got the better of. “A great weekend, all in all, the team worked really hard to give me a good bike, we have got a few things to change for Croft and a couple of small tweaks to make which, obviously, we’re not going to tell anyone about it. Looking forward to it already.” Team manager Steve Moore added: “For this season, our first in British Superbikes, we scaled the team down to one bike, one rider and three people in the crew in order to be as focused as we can, and it has paid off. “Brands Hatch was something of a public test session for us but we have made some great strides in the last week and Scott rode well all weekend. We are second in the Evo Championship, which is a just reward for the work that has been put in. “I need to thank our main sponsors Solent Scientific, Key 2 Group and Ducati and all the guys in the shop who built the bike. We are still searching for new partners to join this front-running BSB Evo team.” More, from a press release issued by Earl Fannin on behalf of the Historic Moto Gran Prix: Billy Hausler Wins Season-Opening Historic Moto Gran Prix BRASELTON, GA Billy Hausler of Howell, NJ, won the season-opening Historic Moto Gran Prix event of the 2011 season Sunday at Road Atlanta, but it was a weekend more focused on celebrating the history of motorcycle racing. “That was fun,” Hausler said after the 10-lap feature race, “but the most fun was just seeing all the neat bikes and spending time with friends who share my love of motorcycles.” Hausler’s #229 Yamaha R1 was one of more than 40 historically significant motorcycles entered in the event. The 52-year-old rider brought three bikes with him, including the 2001 Honda HRC 929 ridden by Roger Lee Hayden and Josh Hayes, but elected to ride the more powerful Yamaha R1 that was owned by Rocky Stargel and by ridden in AMA Pro Racing competition by Bryan Stokes. Hausler was the Heavyweight division winner, and followed AMA Pro Racing touring pro J.B. Layman to the finish line. Layman was riding the #771 Team Zyvax 2003 Yamaha R6, but as a touring pro is not eligible for HMGP awards. Other division winners included Jerome Craig of Atlanta on the #11 2003 Honda 600RR in Middle Weight and Art Kowitz on the #1+ Kawasaki Z1 in the Air Cooled division. The HMGP event also included a Bike Show, and Doug Roberts was named the overall winner for bringing an impressive collection of Yamaha RZs. As part of The Mitty event hosted by Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR), the HMGP event drew a crowd of more than 20,000 to Road Atlanta. HMGP will return to Road Atlanta as part of the HSR Atlanta Historics event Sept. 22-25. Feature 10-Lap Race Results: Heavyweight 1. Billy Hausler, #229 Yamaha R1; 2. Billy Meyers, #11 Yamaha FZR1000; 3. Mike Kuntz, # 21 Ducatti. Middle Weight 1. Jerome Craig, #11 Honda CBR600; 2. Jay Letts, #64 Yamaha R6; 3, Paul Laymoor, #177 Yamaha R6. Air Cooled 1. Art Kowitz, #1+ Kawasaki Z1; 2. Mike Hodson, #639 Honda CB750; 3. Jim Hinshaw, #929 Kawasaki H1R. Merit Awards Ray Smith, #87X Yamaha RZ350; Rodney Sautner, #40 Yamaha FZ6; Craig Croft, #2 Harley-Davidson VR1000. Bike Show Results: 1. Doug Roberts, collection of Yamaha RZs; 2. Tim Byrd, 1969 Greeves Griffon 380, 3. Robert Fox, Yamaha Flat Track. Blue Ribbon Todd Reynolds, 1982 Honda CB900F. Red Ribbbon Jay Letts, Yamaha RD350. White Ribbon Jim Hinson, Kawasaki H1R. More, from a press release issued by Peak Honda Racing: Peak Honda Racing wins 2 during WERA North Central season opener. Lenox, MI- Peak Honda Racing’s 2011 effort kicked off this past weekend (4/30-5/1) during the WERA North Central season opener at Nelson Ledges. A weekend filled with ever changing weather and crashes was caped off with two race wins by the #53 of Nicholas Lefurgey in C Superstock Expert and A Superstock Expert. After running off track and suffering a high side at lap 16 of Saturday’s Solo 20, Lefurgey was able to remount his machine and finish fourth overall, only to suffer another crash Sunday morning during a wet C Superbike race. “It was a very challenging weekend for us. We were out on a completely new set up and I’ve never run under full wet conditions so we struggled early on. The team really pulled through to keep the bike going and to help keep my head in the game so we could salvage a pair of race wins late in the day.” said Nicholas Lefurgey. Teammate Oliver Gooden, also having gone down during Saturday’s Solo 20, came back strong Sunday to take three 2nd place finishes (A Superstock Expert, Formula 1 Expert, B Superstock Expert). Oliver Gooden had this to say: “It’s not the way we wanted to start the year off, destroying so much equipment and all. But we made it work and came away with valuable championship points on the year and we’re all healthy going into round 2.” New to Peak Honda Racing for 2011, Joe Ursini who was brought on board to fill the novice spot on the team was not to be out done. The #33 of Ursini suffered a massive crash exiting the high speed carousel under full wet conditions early Sunday but managed to get the bike together to capture a 3rd, 4th and 7th place finish respectively. Team Crew Chief Quince Lefurgey had this to say on the weekend: “We showed up with three new bikes, we’re taking three wrecked bikes back home, not exactly ideal. More importantly though we’re all healthy, we grabbed some points and we have two weeks to get ready for Grattan. I’m extremely proud of how everyone responded to the adversity we faced this weekend and hopefully we used up our bad luck for the year here at Nelsons”. Peak Honda Racing is supported by Scorpion USA, Knox Armor, Sportbike Track Gear, Leo Vince, Peak Honda, Pit Bull, Vortex, Uber Racing, WitchKraft Motorsports, Hotbodies Racing, SS Shades and GP Tech.